In November, the Joint Legislative Interim Judiciary Subcommittee A introduced a draft bill establishing a new regulatory program for gas wells utilizing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. While the bill is aimed at regulating the Marcellus Shale gas well drilling occurring now in West Virginia, it would apply to all drilling using these new drilling techniques. We were hoping to report that the study committee had advanced the bill at their December meeting so that the full legislature would have a comprehensive draft bill to consider when they convene next week. Unfortunately, the committee couldn’t take any action on the bill because there were too few members present. (Read more here and here.) We’re disappointed lawmakers couldn't take up the measure, but they could still endorse the bill during January interim meetings, which begin on Sunday, January 9.

Please contact the members of Interim Judiciary Subcommittee A NOW and urge them to pass this comprehensive draft legislation out of subcommittee and on to the full legislature for its further consideration.

Committee members need to know their constituents are concerned about the greater impacts of Marcellus and other deep shale drilling and this bill is a crucial start. Including comments about problems you've experienced or know about in other areas of the state is helpful, but not necessary.

The industry has already made its opposition to this bill known -- now it's time for legislators to hear from you.

A few years ago, Marcellus Shale gas was unrecoverable and West Virginia was a relative backwater in the oil and gas industry.

The new techniques of high volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have made a sea change in all of that. The Marcellus Shale is now the second largest field of gas -- in the WORLD. It is twice the size of the gas fields in Saudi Arabia. Major oil companies like Exxon are buying up gas resources here. Conventional shallow wells have given way to 6 to 8 horizontal wells drilled from one well site. This drilling causes an exponential increase in surface disturbance, water use and waste disposal. It also requires compressor stations and staging areas and greatly increases demands on roads and other infrastructure.

Our state is facing this new industrialization with regulatory statutes have not been modified in decades, and a staff of 17 inspectors for 55,000 active wells and 900 to 3,000 new permit applications a year.

West Virginia needs to overhaul and modernize its oversight of gas well drilling, and commit significantly more resources to address the impacts of this industrialization.

Below is a list of Judiciary A Subcommittee members and their contact information. You can also try to contact (and leave messages for) members using the Toll Free phone number: 1-877-565-3447.